Bad news for Sri Lanka’s mothers and children

Major shortage of VOGs & Paediatricians

More negative news comes for both mothers and children as the dearth of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and Paediatricians came to light.

While the cadre of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists to man the state hospitals across the country in 2025 is 240, the Annual Transfer List 2023 showed 130 working at ground level and 27 vacancies.

However, a medical specialist told the Sunday Times that even though there are 130 supposed to be on duty, 15 of them had already migrated and 6 had retired under the 63 plus retirement rule.

This is as only 9 of 13 who are eligible to join as specialists in this specialty will do so, the source said, adding that in the replacement group (those 'Acting') of 17, already 2 have migrated. Therefore, Sri Lanka faces a major shortage of 26 Obstetricians & Gynaecologists. If the retirement at 60 is applied 28 more would leave the state health sector.

“The peripheral hospitals are suffering the brunt of it as the Obstetricians & Gynaecologists are shunted from these hospitals to major hospitals in the cities,” another pointed out.

Next, many specialists moved from mothers to children, reiterating that Paediatricians were becoming a very scarce tribe in the state hospitals.

The forecast cadre for 2025 is 300, but the Annual Transfer List 2023 showed 150 in position. The Sunday Times learns that even from among these 150 supposed to be serving the country, 12 have already migrated, 2 have joined universities, while 6 have retired at 63 plus years.

There are 52 vacancies and even though 12 are board-certified (PostGraduate Institute of Medicine) only 8 have sought posts under the 2023 Transfer List. If the 60 plus retirement rule is applied, another 40 Paediatricians will down their stethoscopes and go home from the state hospitals. On the replacement list is 1 who is board-certified and 20 who are undergoing overseas training from among whom 4 have already decamped. So Sri Lanka faces a shortage of 64 Paediatricians.

The shortfall of Paediatricians on a hospital-to-hospital basis is:

Tertiary Hospitals:

While the cadre of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists to man the state hospitals across the country in 2025 is 240, the Annual Transfer List 2023 showed 130 working at ground level and 27 vacancies

Kandy National Hospital – 2 Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children, Colombo – 2 Infectious Diseases Hospital, Angoda –1

Peradeniya Sirimavo Bandaranaike Children’s Hospital – 2

Teaching Hospitals:

Anuradhapura – 2 Batticaloa – 1 Jaffna – 2 Peradeniya – 1 Ratnapura – 1

Provincial General Hospitals:

Kurunegala – 2

District General Hospitals: Ampara – 2 Hambantota – 1

Kegalle – 1 Kilinochchi – 2 Mannar – 2

Matara – 1 (See graphic for the dearth in Base Hospitals and Rehabilitation Centres)